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The Undercover Cook
Full-time mom & marketing manager in search of interesting food choices, smarter eating and the latest food trends even when time is in precious short supply.
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Monthly Archives: August 2011
North African Roasted Chicken and Potato Cakes
On Sunday I made Honey Orange Roasted Chicken and it was absolutely delightful. The next night I used the left over roasted chicken to make North African Roasted Chicken and Potato Cakes. I love roasting chicken on Sundays because the cooked chicken can be made into so many different recipes quickly during the week.
I found the original recipe on Baltic Maid. If you are into diverse ethnic recipes, this is a great blog to check out. I changed the original recipe a bit by starting with roasted chicken instead of raw. I also changed the spice mixture and added some garlic salt at the very end to finish the cakes.
I know these fried cakes are not strictly speaking “a health food” and I am not pretending that they are. However they do have some healthy spices mixed in there, including turmeric. Turmeric, which many people associate with Indian cuisine because it used in curry spice mixes, adds a distinctive yellow color to foods. It is a pleasant spice that works well in lots of dishes. (You might even want to try a dash in your scrambled eggs in the morning.) It is also an anti-inflamatory and an antioxidant making it an excellent spice to add to your spice cabinet!
My one tip for making these cakes is just about boiling the potatoes. I have known a lot of people who like to get the water boiling and then add the potatoes to cook. I recommend against that practice. Instead, try adding the potatoes to the broth or water before you start to heat it. That way the inside and the outside of the potatoes cook at the same rate and you end up with better texture and taste.
These North African Roasted Chicken and Potato Cakes are pretty easy to make but they take a little bit of time to get from start to finish. You may want to save them for a weekend meal, especially the first time you give them a try.
I made these cakes as an entree but they would also make great tapas if you make the patties smaller appetizer portions! Feel free to play around with the spice mixture to personalize them to your taste if you like. If you give them a try, definitely check back and let me know what you think. My family and guest gave them 2 thumbs up.
North African Roasted Chicken and Potato Cakes
North African Roasted Chicken and Potato Cakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cook Time: 35 minutes – Makes: 10 cakes
- 2 lb red potatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lb roasted chicken, shredded and chopped (no skin)
- 1 small yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves of garlic, pushed through a garlic pressed
2 eggs, wisked- 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
- flour (only if needed)
- oil
- garlic salt
Peel potatoes if desired (I didn’t peel mine) then cut potatoes into cubes (about 1 inch square). Place potato chunks into a pot with room temperature vegetable broth.
Put pot with potatoes on medium-high heat and bring mixture to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked (roughly 25 minutes for potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes).
When potatoes are fully cooked use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes. Put them into a bowl. Save the broth in case you need it later to moisten the potatoes.
Mash potatoes with a potato masher or a fork. Add chicken, minced onion, pressed garlic, egg parsley, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin and chili powder and stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Use your hands to form potato and chicken mixture into cakes. You should get 9-10 cakes. If the potato and chicken mixture seems to moist to form cakes you can add a little flour. If the mixture seems too dry add a little bit of the reserved vegetable broth. If the mixture seems to be the right consistency then you will not need to use the flour or the reserved vegetable broth.
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium to medium-high heat. Fry the cakes until golden brown on both sides (approximately 4 minutes per side). Work in batches and do not over crowd the pan so that you can easily and gently flip the cakes. Remove cakes from oil once they are golden brown on both sides and set on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve and enjoy!
Some other recipes you might enjoy!
Pearl Couscous with Brown Butter, Sizzled Sage and Walnuts
Lebanese Lamb, Rice and Lentils dinner
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Honey Orange Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
One of my favorite ways to keep dinners easy during the week is to roast a chicken (or two) on Sunday. You get a delicious dinner Sunday night and then you are left with wonderful leftover cooked chicken that is perfect for quick meals during the week.
I found a new recipe for Chicken with Orange, Honey and Cumin that looked intriguing on For the Love of Cooking. Pam had adapted her version of the recipe from the original recipe posted by Mark Bittman on his Diner’s Journal for the NY Times.
I made a few tweaks to both versions of the recipe. The biggest change was to add sweet potatoes that will marinate and roast right along in the same pan with the chicken. I also added just a touch a of red pepper flakes. Not enough to add real heat, more like adding a gentle warmth to the flavors.
You will find that tin foil comes in really handy when making this dish. First, you will want to line the roasting pan with a double layer of tin foil. The honey in the marinade really cooks down and is a bear to clean up without the tin foil. Second, I recommend you wrap the tips of the wings and the very top of the drumstick bone with a little bit of tin foil to prevent them from burning while the chicken is roasting. Finally because the marinade is made with honey it can burn and make the skin really dark. When you take the potatoes out after the first hour, place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the chicken before you return it to the oven to keep the skin from burning.
Here is one last tip for this recipe, skip the roasting rack and put everything right down in the bottom of the roasting pan. Usually I use a rack when roasting a chicken, but you want the potatoes down in all the marinade and juice. They turn out so deliciously flavorful this way!
My family loved this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what your family thinks. My next post will be recipe using some of the left over cooked chicken…..assuming you have any of course!
Honey Orange Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 13 minutes - Cook time: approx 3 hours
- 1 ½ lb. sweet potatoes, peeled
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup of fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup of honey
- 2 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 4 lb. whole chicken, insides removed
- Handful of cilantro
- 3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a roasting pan with tinfoil. (Do not use the roasting rack for this recipe.)
Stuff cilantro, ½ of the onion chunks and 3 whole cloves of garlic into the cavity of chicken. Place chicken into the roasting pan.
Peel and chop sweet potatoes in 1 ½ inch pieces and place into a large bowl. Add the remaining half of the sweet onion to the bowl.
In small bowl whisk orange juice, honey, minced garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes. Divide the mixture in half.
Add half the honey orange juice mixture to the bowl with sweet potatoes and toss until well coated.
Pour the sweet potatoes and onions (and the orange juice mixture that is in the bowl with the potatoes) around the chicken in the roasting pan.
Take the remaining half of the honey orange juice mixture and pour over the chicken. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Place roasting pan with chicken and potatoes into the oven. Roast for 1 hour, basting the chicken every 30 minutes. If the skin starts to turn too dark loosely cover top of bird with a sheet of tin foil.
After 1 hour of baking, use a slotted spoon to remove sweet potatoes from the pan. Set potatoes aside, baste chicken and return it to the oven. Bake for an additional 1 1/2 – 2 hours (basting every 30 minutes) until chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear. Use a meat thermometer to be sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180°.
When chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the sweet potatoes and enjoy!
Other recipes you night enjoy!
The Ultimate Oven Fried Chicken
Chipotle Mango Chicken
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Sharing Saturday: Thinking about Everyone on the East Coast
It has been a stick-close-to-home kind of weekend. Mom is in town for a visit. We made Blue Cheese and Honey Crostinis yesterday but mostly we have been glued to the TV watching Hurricane Irene’s progress up the east coast. We were really lucky here on our little section of the coast. Irene stayed far out to sea leaving us with only a little wind and rain. I fear that my friends, family and everyone farther up the coast won’t fair so well.
We did peal ourself away from the TV long enough to check out our own coast line after Irene passed. Mom, Little Dude and I walked on the beach and watched surf churn.
I have found a few interesting post this week that I wanted to share. I have listed them below. I hope where ever you this weekend that are you stay safe and dry and manage to escape the wrath of Hurricane Irene! Have a great weekend everyone!
Some Interesting Food Posts from This Week:
Street Food in Korea and Stuff on Sticks – I am fascinated with street food from all cultures. You can find some delicious bites in the most unpretentious places. I came across this post on Matt Bites about street food in Korea. Sweet pancakes, deep fried veggies, and all kinds of food on a stick – buy me a plane ticket I want to try a bite! How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag – Ok this just sounds like fun and a dangerous thing to know if it really works! I found it on The Foodie List which is a UK food site. I haven’t tried it yet, but I intend to give it a go! Ham and Egg Breakfast Cups – These little breakfast dishes look perfect for a hectic back to school morning! I love the idea a of a hot protein breakfast to get everyone going! Did I mention my own Little Pumpkin is starting preschool next week? I am really not ready for this! Crunchy Peanut Chocolate Chip Muffins – Found these little muffins on Evilshenanigans (which is just a fun little blog name isn’t?!) Can’t wait to give them a try using almond butter and a little whole grain flour. They look so tasty!
Posted in Sharing Sunday
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